Page 150 of Memories Like Fangs
The version of Mom I had always known stared at the dying plume of smoke. Her lips parted, and for a moment, I was reminded of Sire Kaya in the house talking about what was going to happen to her. The weight of the years and the life she had chosen pressed on Mom the same way.
“I wanted you to live a long, loving, happy life no matter the cost. It wasn’t just my dying wish. It was the first wish I had when I found out I was pregnant with you. So that you could thrive happily, I always wanted to keep you safe in every sense of the word. I wanted to protect you from the worst that the world had to offer, keeping you as innocent as possible for as long as I possibly could.”
Mom sighed. “All parents want better for their children than they had. I grew up in a dying enchantment where we knew from an early age that our parents were next, but we had no idea when. Hunters were like boogeymen for us, monsters who would kill us just for sport or money. Blood magic, witch-fae, demons—we learned about it all, and it always filled me with dread. For a time, it even made me resent being a dragon-shifter because I thought it was an obstacle to happiness and freedom, not a vehicle for it. I never wanted you to feel that way, Byrdie. I always wanted you to love every part of yourself, inside and out, just like how my mother taught me. Ultimately, all of these reasons made me decide to never tell you about your grandmother or where I grew up.”
Mom shook her head, blinking back tears as she began to unravel. “But, I think that was a lie I forced myself to believe. Fear of everything that wanted dragon-shifters dead made medislike myself, but it also strengthened, so I could be fearless. I left the enchantment because I had to, but I didn’t have to leave when I did, after Mama’s ceremony. I wish—” Her voice cracked. The tears spilled over as she continued. “I wish I had waited. Just until Sire Kaya had passed. I never saw her again after I left. I have no idea how much longer she lived or if she died alone or… I just… I think that is my biggest regret, and that shame made me never want to tell you. My guilt made me want to forget. As long as I didn’t remember or speak about it, I wouldn’t have to feel everything I had lost and left behind. I wouldn’t have to think of my mistakes.”
Mom’s shoulders sagged, like a burden had been lifted from her shoulders. She closed her eyes. “All of this was so selfish of me. You deserved to know. You had every right to know, and that was a choice I robbed you of. I’m so, so?—”
I threw my arms around Mom. She was so shocked that she was slow to hug me back. “Don’t apologize, Mom. Parents are allowed to make mistakes. You did what you thought was right at the time. At the end of the day, I really am okay. I am proud of who I am, flaws and all, and that is because of you. I may not have known about the monsters, but you still gave me the tools to be able to learn and the strength to take them on. You are forgiven, and your wish still came true, Mom. And, I know Sire Kaya died knowing that her wish came true, too. You lived and thrived and shared that love while you were alive. You can’t let the past steal anything else from you now.”
Mom held me close and tightly against her as she choked on a sob. “I told you it was amazing how love can heal you.”
I chuckled, the noise sounding wet from my own crying. “I miss you more than I can think sometimes, Mom, but I will always love you more than all the stars in the sky.”
“And, I love you until the moon catches the sun.” She pulled back from our embrace, her wet, dark sard eyes twinkling likealways with nothing but love and pride. A long breath escaped her lips before she said. “I’m ready to go back home now, baby Byrd.”
I nodded, smiling through my tears. “I think you deserve the rest.”
Hurricane Party
QUINN
Ialready missed Byrd like hell, and we hadn’t even left the parking garage for her condo yet.
It wasn’t just the physical distance about to stretch between us for the first time in a while. Although, I could feel that looming even as I sat in the trunk of Everett’s SUV waiting for my cousins to bring their bags down. Nor was it the smallest flicker of apprehension in our bond. Both of those were definitely factors, but it was more so the way the world felt thinner without her in it, like I’d stepped into a version of reality that forgot how to hold me right. The air didn’t quite fit in my lungs the same. My fingers twitched from where my wrists draped over my knees, aching to caress the curve where her waist met her hip. I missed the cool softness of her skin under my palm. This woman wasn’t just my kryptonite; she was all my power and strength.
Yeah, I was down pretty bad.
After spending several days wrapped around each other, I had gotten used to being by her side and discovering our normals. If my previous relationships or the ones I had seen before were any indication, we should be starting to get sick of each other. The Honeymoon Phase should have run its course,and we should be wanting our own space apart. Instead, I couldn’t see life any other way. I would be happy just being in the same room with her, not saying a word and doing our own things. I didn’t know if it was the fated mate bond, the nature of sapphic relationships, or just our love for each other, but I never wanted to be apart from her again.
I wasn’t built for absence away from Byrd anymore. Even before I moved into my one drawer in the nightstand, plugged in my phone charger, and left my toothbrush there, her condo had become a refuge, a sanctuary, a safe place. Wherever Byrd was, that was where I wanted to be. Home was everything Byrd was and all the things she did. It was in the embrace of her arms. Or, laying between those thick thighs. Or, under her touch, especially when she forgot to be mindful of her talons. It was caressing each of her rolls and tracing her ink with the tip of my tongue. Listening to her glorious laugh was the cure to any ailment. It was her brown eyes that reminded me of brown topazes and homemade mole, looking at me like I was worth choosing every day.
I leaned my head back against the side wall of the trunk in Everett’s Jeep Wagoneer, one knee bent and the other leg swinging lazily over the back bumper. I allowed my eyes to close. The leather seats still smelled fresh and new, holding that sharp, chemical-clean scent of a dealership showroom. Outside, the January air was crisp yet damp, sunlight skimming off the frost-bitten rooftops from the freezing morning. The cooler temperatures made the sunshine feel light and electric, like the very air had absorbed Byrd’s magic and refused to let it go. It made me glad I wasn’t the only one reluctant to leave her behind. I actually had my knitted sweater sleeves rolled down, something that never happened since I usually overheated so easily. But, I had felt the chill in the air cut through me from the moment I had woken up this morning, making me opt formy thicker jeans, Chelsea boots, and even leaving my curls down to give my neck some extra warmth. It had to be a persistent side effect of Lilah’s magic. Although it was better than the quiet weight of soreness tugging at every joint yesterday or the inability to even sit up without seeing stars the day before that, it reminded me that I still wasn’t fully healed yet.
None of us were.
Maisie, Cole, Cody, and I had been completelydestroyedafter Lilah’s possession. My bones and muscles ached like I had been injected with acid and forced to run ten miles carrying five hundred pounds of cement blocks. It felt like my magic and very essence had been wrung out of me, making the exhaustion just as bad as the pain. I usually healed quickly, but even I was slower than usual because of Lilah’s blood magic. I had never taken more than a couple of hours to heal from anything before. Of course, I’d never fought against a blood fitch before either.
I missed when a broken nose was the worst, most annoying thing. Now, we have a new champion of stupid, irritating injuries that I can’t stand.
Cody kept moaning about how his abs were sore in places he didn’t know hehadabs. Cole was just lying facedown, whispering “end me” on repeat into Simone’s lap. Maise called us all pathetic right before she passed out with an ice pack on her face and a cooling blanket over her. Even Byrdie was drained, having overexerted herself and her dragon. Izzy said that we would likely need a few days to get our magic and bodies back to full health. Considering the events of the past twenty-four hours, it was something that everyone could take advantage of. If we wanted to take down the Blood Bitch, we would all need to be at our best.
It was late into the second night when Byrd woke up with such a start that she sat straight up in bed and sent me into a panic. When she looked at me, her eyes glistened withunshed tears. Her thick, long eyelashes fluttered in a way that reminded me of her wings as she visibly struggled to pull herself from sleep. Yet, the smile she couldn’t contain was so bright I suddenly forgot how to be afraid. It only took six words to make me forget about sleep and recovery.
“My mom came to see me.”
The words had lingered in the space between us, soft and surreal, just like the dust motes catching in the moon’s and crystal’s lights above Byrd’s shoulder. Byrd had told me before about how her mom could come and talk to her in her dreams. I knew from my studies in school that dragon-shifters often had a link with their mothers, especially if they were close, but my teachers had poo-pooed the idea of it being a means to communicate beyond the grave, and I had never given it much thought. Despite being a huntress who was often confronted with death, I had never considered what would happen beyond this reality. But I liked the idea of not simply ceasing to exist and being able to talk to your loved ones still. I loved it even more that my girl could see the person who meant the world to her.
I held Byrd close to me as she told everyone about her dream when we gathered in the living room. Her voice was thin but certain while she described every detail, including the surprise of her grandmother ending up with a woman as her fated mate, just like her, which I found adorable. Then, at the end, she said her mother was ready to say goodbye.
There were too many funerals looming on the horizon.
There was no rest for the weary, even less for the wicked.
The plan came together quickly. Notifying the families of the deceased and providing them with their bodies was the most immediate, painful necessity. Thankfully, the body bags that Ayrie had provided us had preserved their bodies with care, suspending them in a subtle weave of magic to prevent decay. Byrd, Everett, Simone, and Maisie would teleport toTalli’s house the next day. Byrd would deliver the news to Talli’s mate and her two daughters, since she was the closest to them. Meanwhile, my cousins and I would borrow Everett’s SUV to take Cooper back to our house. When he tossed me the keys, he threatened to make me buy him a new Wagoneer as an engagement gift if there were any holes in his leather, which made me roll my eyes. Teddy volunteered to stay behind with the Archive Guardians as backup to protect Byrd’s mom’s remains in case Lilah returned. Once we were all done, we would meet back at the condo to properly plan the Homegoing Ceremony that Byrd’s mom deserved.
When I saw the tightening of Byrd’s jaw, I had taken her face in my hand. “I could come with you to talk to Talli’s family, Sweetness.”
